Desperation in the Darkness
by parthaker
Summary: Naruto encounters the Kyūbi at a young age. Dark.


Naruto encountered the Kyūbi at a young age. A very dark one-shot.

* * *

Naruto doesn't know why the kids in the playground won't play with him. He walks back to his orphanage, head hanging low. Why do they call him names? Why do their parents hate him? What has he ever done to them to deserve such hate?

As he enters his room with small cot and threadbare blanket, he glances out the window. He sees a child running. He watches as the girl, Kumiko he now remembers, leaps into the arms of a man and women. He knows her. She is one of the children that refused to play with him. She is the one that warned the other children of the orphanage away from him. He doesn't understand. Why does she get parents?

"_It's not fair," _he thinks. "_What does she have that I don't."_

Naruto doesn't realize it's what she _doesn't _have that. Yet.

* * *

Weeks pass. He tries to make new friends. When that doesn't work, he even tries to find a pet, anything for some companionship. Anything for someone to play with him. And he finds. It's a toad he found in a nearby alley. It's colorful, spotted with blues and orange, his favorite color! He calls him Gama-chan. Naruto spends all his time playing with Gama-chan. They go everywhere together, eating ramen together, and sleep together. He never questions where the toad came from. He doesn't realize that toads are not native to Konoha. He never thinks about the unusually colorful markings that cover the toad. To him, the toad is his pet, his friend, and that is all that matters.

For the first time in a long time, Naruto is happy. He has found his friend.

One day he goes climbing. He wants to conquer the enormous, towering trees that stand as silent sentinels, hiding his Village with their leaves. But soon he gets bored, his hyperactive, childish mind daring him to try something more exciting. So he tries to play ninja. He has always seen the deadly, masked ANBU effortlessly leaping from roof to roof. Surely it can't be that hard. After all, if he can't be like a ninja then he'll never become Hokage, dattebayo!

So he tries to leap to a branch that is ten feet away. But he miscalculates. Luckily he is able to grasp a stray branch after falling several feet, but his Gama-chan is not so fortunate. Naruto can only stare in horror as his only friend plummets to the ground fifty feet below. He quickly loses sight of of him, the foliage obscuring his view. Heart pounding with fear, Naruto scrambles down the tree to where he is sure he will find the dead body of Gama-chan.

But to his surprise and delight, instead of the broken body he was expecting, he finds a perfectly healthy toad sitting calmly at the base of the tree. In his joy, he never questions how a small toad could have survived such a fall. Of course, he never noticed the small flicker of pale blue light that had emanated from the toad's legs as he fell. Only a ninja would be able to detect something like that.

He also doesn't notice the blank, porcelain mask amidst the shadows of the the foliage in the taller trees. He never notices a leaf that falls to the ground as the mask disappears in a flicker. He is too busy playing with Gama-chan.

* * *

Two days later, a man arrives at the orphanage. He talks to the matron in a strange monotone. Naruto hears his name mentioned several times, and the strange man even glances at him several times, through creepy empty eyes. But his young mind pushes these thoughts from his mind quickly. He has things to do! He couldn't find Gama-chan that morning, but that's okay. His friend does that sometimes, disappearing every now and then, but he always comes back.

After going to Ichiraku's Ramen for breakfast (because there is no food better than ramen!), he goes to the playground. Maybe some of the children will have changed, or he can meet ones that don't make fun of him. After several tries, he goes to the swings, dejectedly sitting there, hair covering his eyes. He won't cry. He _won't_! Because strong ninja don't cry!

"Are you okay," a quiet voice asks him. Startled, Naruto looks up in surprise and wariness. No one has ever sought him out before. In front of him there is a boy, slightly older than him. Naruto takes in the round glasses framing onyx eyes and ash-grey hair, neatly tied into a ponytail, with the bangs framing either side of his forehead.

"I'm fine! I'm not crying!"

The boy's mouth quirks to the side in amusement.

"I never said you were."

Naruto's face drops. "Oh, right...well I was just making sure you knew!"

There is an awkward pause where Naruto tries to figure out what to say. And then...

"Do you want to play with me?"

Naruto brain stops. This boy, this complete stranger, has ask _him _to play! That's never happened before! In joy Naruto responds with excitement. "Yeah! Do you know how to play ninja?!"

The boy's eyes glitter in amusement. "No, but I'm sure I can learn quickly."

"Great! I can teach you! It's easy! You can be the evil ninja trying to destroy Konoha and I'll be the awesome, strong Hokage that's going to defeat you!"

Naruto dashes off towards the trees, eager to play with his new friend, before tripping in his haste to turn around. "Wait, what's your name?"

The grey haired boy smiles.

"Kabu."

"Great! Then let's go play ninja!" Naruto barrels through several children and into the forest in excitement

The newly dubbed Kabu, laughing, runs after him, "Wait up Naruto!"

In his jubilation, Naruto forgets that he never introduced himself to his new friend.

* * *

Later that day, Naruto returns to the orphanage after well-spent day of being the strongest Hokage in the world and defeating all the evil enemy ninja that try and attack his village. As he tiredly stumbles to his room, he wonders if his Gama-chan would be back. He can't wait to talk about the exciting day that he's had. But Gama-chan isn't there. Naruto doesn't worry.

But then he isn't there the next day. Or the next. Or the week after that. Doubt starts to trickle into his mind. Gama-chan is his friend! He wouldn't leave him

..._right?_

* * *

After two months, Naruto realizes that Gama-chan is never coming back. On top of that, his other friend that made an awesome evil ninja is also gone. Kabu never appears in the playground to play ninja ever again. The other children don't know who he's talking about. They push him away, calling him crazy, weird.

Naruto becomes depressed. It's like the entire world is against him. Every time he makes a friend, they are taken away from him. He becomes quiet, spending time by himself, not making attempts to talk to the other kids anymore. But if one looks closely, it is possible to see Naruto's eyes darting to the kids quickly, in desperation, before he glances away. He still wants a friend, and has become more desperate for one. The weeks he spent with Gama-chan and the day with Kabu have reminded him how amazing a friend can be. He wants that feeling again. He wants it more than anything. _Anything_.

That night, Naruto falls asleep, but instead of dreaming of islands of ramen he opens his eyes to a darkness. A split second later, the darkness resolves itself into a room. Dark water coats the floor, partially submerging his body. Countless gleaming metal pipes run along the ceiling and walls. Electric lights glow softly, flickered every so often. Naruto is confused. This isn't what his dream are normally like. In a dazed, but curious state, he does the only thing he can think of, to walk until he finds out something about this place.

After 20 minutes of walking he comes to an abrupt halt. In front of him, looming over him is an enormous golden cage. Intricate gold patterns adorn the massive bars that are as thick as his body. It visibly exudes chakra, the entire cage vibrating with the amount of energy coming off it. And the pipes. Thousands of pipes seem to enter the cage, converging in the darkness, their chrome casings thrumming with the force that permeates the area. Naruto can only gaze in wonder at the massive gates that dwarf even the Hokage Tower. And at the very front of the gate is a tiny piece of paper, covered with intricate writing.

Squinting, he looks past the bars, trying to see what they are supposed to be the entrance to. But all he can see was darkness. "Hey! Is there anyone here? Answer me, 'ttabyo!"

For a moment, nothing happens, the darkness reveals on nothing.

And then the darkness opens an eye.


End file.
